How to relieve severe tooth pain from abscess until I can get a root canal?

I've had a very painful toothache going on two weeks now. I went to the dentist and he said I have an abscess on my bottom right molar. The problem is, the pain has lessened on the side where the abscess is and is on the left side of my mouth. It's throbbing and sore, to the point where I can't close my mouth and I think either the nerve pain is being transferred to one of my top teeth (like a ghost pain) or the infection has spread and I've developed more abscesses. They put me on Amoxicillin to get rid of the pain and the infection, but it's not relieving any pain. I've tried home remedies (clove, salt and pepper mixture, onion,poking a hole in an advil tab and putting the liquid on the hurt tooth, etc) and a select number of pain meds such as aleve and ibuprofen, but nothing is working at all. I'm not old enough to use alcohol or anything such as that. And yes, I've used countless ice packs and a heating pad but NOTHING helps. I'd like to relieve as much pain as possible until the dentist calls back and sets up the appointment for my root canal. Please help!!

Responses (6)

Milkistvr; well you have done just about all possible just make sure to keep taking one of the anti-inflammatory meds but use one or the other ibuprofen or Advil not both or you're going to mess up your stomach and I hope you hear from your doctor very soon Chuck1957

Never break a tylenol or aspirin and rub it on the tooth in most cases that tooth well end up needing pulled fine to take it by mouth and swallow and take it fairly regular prior to the pain coming back and buy some red cross tooth ache liquid or just some clove oil that you can get at any pharmacy it has saved my life during the night when the pain is just to much you apply it with the cotton balls theat com with it or a qtip best of luck get in ASAP. chuck1957

You might try something like Oragel or Ambesol. Put it directly on the tooth and on the surrounding gum. Just be sure not to use it more than directed since it can burn your gums and irritate them even more. I've also taken a hot drink (tea, coffee or even hot water) and held it in my mouth until it cools. It seemed it help me some. Good luck to you.

Try crushing acetaminophen and rubbing it in and around the infected area, as far as OTC pain meds go it's most effective for tooth pain in the manner described.Ask the prescriber of the antibiotics for help with the pain.

Hydrogen peroxide. Floss then swish hydrogen peroxide you will immediately get relief if it's able to get into the area. Be careful if it gets any worse just go to the ER. I had one like this I ended up with an entire jaw bone infected and it took a year and bone scrapings to get rid of the osteomyelitis in the jaw. Hydrogen peroxide was a life saver it's what my dentist put me on and Benadryl (mine was a top tooth initially so it kept my sinuses from swelling) just don't swallow the hydrogen peroxide and do up to 5x per day

Two things - antibiotic such as amoxicillin a must 875 x 2 a day or 500 x4 a day.

Get Benadryl, even the generic Diphenhydramine HCl 50mg - is the adult dosage. Dip a cotton ball, or just take it into your mouth and hold it over the part where it hurts. Immediate relief in 1-3 minand full in 15 min.

The above will give you 4-6 hours of relief at least and make it possible to sleep.

In 2-3 days with antibiotics pain will subside and with Diphenhydramine HCl - it will be ok.

The docs call it magic mouth wash - google it, part Benadryl and part something else - great relief. But doesn’t last as long as just putting Benadryl on your problem area.